Bridgetown

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed apologised on Sunday for the ”very sad way” the World Cup Final finished amid farcical scenes. Players and spectators at the Kensington Oval, not to mention millions of television viewers, were left baffled by the climax to Saturday’s match, which saw Australia celebrate victory twice.

Match referee Jeff Crowe took the blame for the farcical finish to the World Cup final that saw Australia celebrate victory twice and forced Sri Lanka to bat in pitch-black darkness. But he suggested third umpire Rudi Koertzen may have initiated a process that led to chaotic scenes at the climax of cricket’s showpiece game.

To captain Ricky Ponting and his all-conquering Australia team, the World Cup is another box to tick. Pace-bowler Glenn McGrath, facing his last match before retirement, describes Saturday’s final against Sri Lanka as business as usual, while opposition captain Mahela Jayawardene aims to convince his players it’s not even a final.

Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Australian paceman Glenn McGrath will be playing their last World Cup match on Saturday. The pair have been looking at their best, with left-handed opener Jayasuriya, a survivor of the 1996 World Cup-winning team, showing off his big-hitting in the early overs and McGrath displaying his disciplined pace and subtle variations.

Muttiah Muralitharan hopes that a Sri Lanka victory in Saturday’s World Cup final against champions Australia can help heal the war wounds of his strife-torn country. The star off-spinner said a victory would be a timely boost as violence on the island escalates between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.

South Africa vice-captain Jacques Kallis has warned that Australia’s unbeaten record in the World Cup will count for nothing when the sides meet in the semifinal in St Lucia on Wednesday. ”They’ve played some very good cricket in this tournament, being unbeaten, while we’ve had a few hiccups along the way,” said Kallis.

A Kevin Pietersen-inspired England kept their promise of winning the last World Cup match for coach Duncan Fletcher when they beat the West Indies by one wicket on Saturday. In-form Pietersen smashed a robust 100 and skipper Michael Vaughan regained form with a timely 79 as England surpassed their rivals’ total of 300 with one ball to spare.

West Indies captain Brian Lara will play the last game of an illustrious international career on Saturday when his side take on England in the final World Cup Super Eights clash. Lara, who holds the record for the top Test score (400 not out) and highest first-class knock (501 not out), retires after the match and will be given a huge reception at the Kensington Oval.

Peter Moores will succeed Duncan Fletcher as England’s permanent coach, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Friday. Fletcher’s resignation was announced on Thursday after England were dumped out of the World Cup following some dismal performances. He will stand down after Saturday’s final World Cup Super Eights match with hosts West Indies.

Will Brian Lara be remembered as a batting genius in a declining West Indies cricketing era who was destined to court frustration with his team’s repeated failures? The debate will go on, but there is no denying that he was one of the best batsmen of the modern era who drew fans to the ground with his attractive and audacious stroke play.

Ramnaresh Sarwan missed a hundred but still guided the West Indies to a resounding 99-run World Cup win over Bangladesh at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on Thursday to ensure they would not finish in the bottom two of the Super Eights table.

Struggling South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini is battling to save his Caribbean World Cup dream. The 29-year-old was dropped from the team for the crucial Super Eights match against England in Bridgetown on Tuesday despite a Kensington Oval pitch having both pace and bounce.

Michael Vaughan took the acclaim when he led England to their 2005 Ashes triumph. Now the same fans greet his name with boos. England’s World Cup elimination on Tuesday brought into focus the woeful batting form of skipper Vaughan, who struggled through the premier limited-overs event and compiled just 130 runs in nine innings.

South Africa outclassed England to take their place in the World Cup semifinals after a nine-wicket victory on Tuesday. The defeat ended England’s hopes of making the cut and South Africa join Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the semifinals.

Hundreds of England’s Barmy Army fan club added more life to the highly charged atmosphere at the Kensington Oval for Tuesday’s World Cup clash with South Africa. England need a win to sneak into the last four, while a victory for South Africa would put the Proteas into the semifinals to join Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

The Irish are famed around the world for knowing how to throw a party. Now Ireland’s cricketers are not just joining world cricket’s biggest club, they’re winning matches and lots of new friends. Ireland’s comfortable 74-run defeat of Bangladesh on Sunday in the Super Eights is the amateur side’s second victory at the World Cup.

Struggling through in the Super Eights, South Africa and England meet at the Kensington Oval on Tuesday chasing the last place in the semifinals. Tuesday’s game is South Africa’s last in the Super Eights, while England must still play the West Indies in the final match before the semifinals.

Australia qualified for the semifinals of the World Cup after a crushing nine-wicket victory over Ireland in their Super Eights game on Friday. Pace bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shaun Tait skittled Ireland out for 91 and the World Cup holders then knocked off the total inside 13 overs with the loss of just one wicket.

Sri Lanka took over as the leading contender for Australia’s World Cup title by beating New Zealand by six wickets on Thursday. Despite a century by Scott Styris, New Zealand lumbered to only 219 for seven at Grenada and the Sri Lankans ambled to the target with almost five overs to spare.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar conceded his team’s World Cup semifinal hopes are doomed after a four-wicket defeat against England in the Super Eights match in Bridgetown. ”Had we won today we’d be in the running for a semifinal place, but our chances are slim now,” said Bashar.

England staggered to a World Cup victory over Bangladesh on Wednesday, struggling to chase down a modest target of 144 to keep alive its hopes of a semifinal spot. After bowling admirably to dismiss the dangerous Bangladesh side to 143, England’s top six batsmen failed to fire.

The semifinals for the Cricket World Cup could effectively be decided two weeks ahead of schedule and some fans are trying to sell tickets they no longer want. This isn’t how the organisers of the first World Cup in the Caribbean saw it happening. The Super Eights were expected to be a close-run competition to decide the final four teams.